


Ring It In

by bisexualreina



Category: The Fall (TV 2013), The X-Files
Genre: Bisexual Dana Scully, Engagement, F/F, Women Loving Women, bisexual stella gibson, stella and scully, wlw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:07:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28465035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualreina/pseuds/bisexualreina
Summary: Scully is nervous about moving to London, a touch of angst, and some love
Relationships: Stella Gibson & Dana Scully, Stella Gibson/Dana Scully
Kudos: 28





	Ring It In

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! Bye 2020

Dana never imagined that Stella would hurt her. That the woman that she loved so fiercely would leave her raw and wounded like an injured elk forced to lick her wounds. However, there she sat, knees hugged against her chest, her entire apartment partially packed away in cardboard boxes, while the other half sat idly untouched.

She hadn’t heard from Stella since the night before, their brief quarrel about her doubts and worries in regards to her big move to London leaving the blonde silent on the other line. Dana had wept to her, Stella listening carefully until she finished, breathing heavily before reminding her that she loved her and carefully hanging up.

Dana knew that she loved her, and that she was willing to move to the ends of the Earth for Stella, but upon the eve of the new year, and three days before her departure, she found herself worrying. 

Her work, which she loved with a burning passion, was in Washington. Although they were no longer romantically involved, Mulder was as well, a huge part of her life, and a loving family member. Her mother would be all on her own, and with Bill touring and his ever growing family, she knew she was the only child that Maggie had left, at least that she was willing to talk to.

Melissa was buried in Washington, her grave marked lovingly with flowers that Dana always replaced on the weekends while in town, up keeping the brush and marshy surroundings that Washington was known for. Although far, her nephews would no longer be a family trip away, able to stay for the summer or weekend, and she’d miss them growing up.

She loved Stella, but it all hit her at once, she’d be saying goodbye to so much, and it broke her heart. Stella could tell, the ache that crept into her normally steady voice was notable, making her shed a tear or two over Dana’s pain.

Dana knew she had work to do, but she didn’t have to turn in her keys for another week, leaving them with her mother for after she left, so she had time to pack. Tiredly she stirred her mug of tea and wondered if she should trade it for something stronger, pushing herself off of the sofa to find a bottle of wine or cheap fizzy drink that Mulder often stored in her cupboards.

She considered calling him, knowing how they could at least order a pizza, get some packing done, or even watch a film to pass the time and fill the hollowing loneliness in her heart. She decided against it, knowing they had already said their goodbyes, which was enough tears and dramatics for the both of them, and the only person she truly wanted with her was thousands of miles away.

She worried if Stella got cold feet, if she no longer wanted this life that they had spent ages building with one another up to this point, and her own insecurities or fears got the best of her. Did she even want Scully, she had told her that she loved her countless times, but was she displeased with her inability to let go?

Scully softly cheered upon finding a bottle of old red wine, it would do for the circumstance.

She popped it open and watched it dump into her glass with a hearty ‘ _glug_ ’ causing her to sigh and begin consuming it, allowing the warmth to spread across her face and body. The sky darkened earlier as it normally did, the city lit up with it’s array of lights, washing over the thick cloud cover.

Her thoughts ran in a loop, making tears bud in the corners of her eyes, letting the already present feeling of homesickness intertwine with her lingering shame as she recalled Stella’s silence.

What if they got married? Had children? Their lives would be so far from everything that grew and nurtured Scully in every phase of her life. However, that was long distance, and that was love, it means sacrifice, giving up for the one you love most.

She loved Stella indeed, was willing to give up everything and more for her, but it didn’t make it any less painful.

She had jumped on the idea, of moving away to London, changing her documents, converting her currency, becoming a new citizen of a foreign country, and being with the love of her life. However the logistical parts of her life even seemed harder and harder to process as they days got closer.

She could begin to hear the cheers of excited individuals eager to ring in the New Year with gusto, but Dana couldn’t bring herself to find the same thrill.

She had twenty minutes left of the year, and she knew that the New Year should bring a monumental feeling, but she just shrugged it off and returned her attention to her wine. Her tube socks were pulled high above her ankles, allowing her to slide around the wooden floors of her apartment, the wine now making her head and vision wavy as she stared ahead. 

Her daze was broken when a pounding knock at her door caused her to jump, dropping her glass into a million shards.

“Fuck!” She gasped, carefully stepping over it to reach the door, swinging it open before gasping.

Stella.

Her blonde partner standing tousled and exhausted on the other side, a large bag slung over her shoulder along with a backpack and duffel on the other. Dana had never seen her partner so tired, clad in old, grey sweats and a black jacket, her normally pristine hair tossed into a ponytail.

“Wha- how?” Was all Dana could manage, her voice croaking with heavy tears as the blonde set the bag down, clearing her throat.

“I could tell that this wasn’t going to work.” She declared, the sound of those words making her heart stop as she studied her carefully.

“You have so much here, so many people who love you and would absolutely die if you weren’t here and in their lives, because I know I do.” A watery tear falling down her cheek as she took a cautious step forward, placing a palm on Dana’s face.

“I’m here, and I’m staying. I know it was rash and last minute, but I couldn’t let you leave all this.” Stella wept, her words sending Dana into a gush of tears as she pulled her partner into a warm embrace, feeling the weariness of her bones from her eight and a half hour flight.

“I love you.” Was all Dana could whimper at the moment, her thoughts running wild as she held the love of her life tightly in her arms. Stella gripped her back and nuzzled her face into her shoulder, blinking her own tears onto the shirt.

“And, since it’s going to be the New Year in a couple of minutes, I figured I’d ask you this.” She whispered, pulling herself away from the redhead before digging through her jacket pocket to retrieve a small velvet box. 

“Dana, everything I want to say has truly been said ten times over, but I love you so much. You brought the biggest light into my life when I thought I was only deserving of darkness. I want to be your wife, to love you, to respect you, to cheer you on. So, will you marry me?” 

Stella popped open the small box and revealed a lavender sapphire ring surrounded by soft diamonds in a delicate oval, glistening in the light of her Christmas Tree.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Stella.” Dana could barely muster, almost in exasperation that it was even a question. A wide grin spreading across her face as she pressed an eager kiss onto her lips, caressing her cheeks with her trembling hands, softly brushing the hair away.

“Well, try on your ring!” Stella cried in relief, lugging the rest of her bags inside before slamming the door shut with her foot, the velvet box now cradled in Dana’s hand.

“Wait! Don’t move!” Dana suddenly gasped, shoving the box back into her hands before scrambling to her bedroom, items tossed and thrown before she returned to her perplexed partner with her own box.

“Now I know you always said that you never wanted to be ambushed by a proposal, and that you always wanted to do it, but I felt it unfair that only I would get a ring that way.” Dana smirked while drying her tears off of her cheeks, popping open the box with a grin.

Inside sat a deep, emerald in a teardrop shape atop a rose band, making Stella’s blue eyes intensify in hue as she gazed at it with a softness that Dana loved to bear witness to.

“Lets try them on together.” The redhead suggested, the blonde rendered silent as they picked their own respective pieces out of the box and slid them onto their engagement fingers, the world around them erupting into cheers.

“It’s midnight.” Stella gasped, her internal clock thrown off from her travels, but truly astonished.

“We’re engaged.” Scully probed even farther, their eyes watery with love for one another and the closeness that they now shared. 

“Happy New Year, Dana.” Stella breathed with a smile, her ringed hand cupping the back of Scully’s head to pull her grinning mouth against hers with a satisfied breath.

“Happy New Year, Stella.” 

They both slid onto the sofa with ease, one of Dana’s blankets falling on top of the exhausted and jet lagged blonde who easily found her spot against Scully’s chest. Their pizza was ordered, intercourse promised once Stella adjusted to the time zone, and hearts filled.

Stella knew that this was right, that leaving her country was a much lesser sacrifice to make than the other, her family nonexistent, especially upon hearing the news of her love affair with a beautiful woman. Upon her call it all felt obvious, she would move to the ends of the earth, not only to be with her wife, to be with her and watch her be happy.

Through a sleepy haze Dana felt Stella shift from her stomach, bringing her head against the sound of her beating heart, resting comfortably.

“Comfy?” Dana giggled, kissing the top of Stella’s head before sinking lower into the sofa, wrapping her arms around her tired fiancé. 

“Mmm, very,” she breathed, trying her hardest not to nod off completely, “I’m so excited to live here…and to marry you.” 

Dana grinned softly at the sentiment, feeling her own exhaustion begin to consume her.

“Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!:)


End file.
